The nose of Space Rider, designed by CIRA (Italian Aerospace Research Centre) and manufactured by CIRA in partnership with PETROCERAMICS, has successfully passed the structural dynamic qualification campaign, confirming the full integrity of the component ahead of the flight unit’s manufacturing. This marks a key technical milestone for Space Rider Re-entry Module (RM), Europe’s first reusable space transportation system, developed within the framework of the European Space Agency (ESA) program, with Thales Alenia Space Italia (TAS-I) as the prime contractor.
The nose is one of the most complex components of the Space Rider’s Re-entry Module Thermal Protection System (TPS), featuring a structure composed of approximately 1,200 elements. The heart of the system is a monolithic dome made of ISiComp® (a reusable fiber-reinforced ceramic material jointly developed by CIRA and Petroceramics): with its 130 cm diameter, it is the largest component ever produced using the Liquid Silicon Infiltration (LSI) technique.
The tests were conducted by CIRA’s Space Qualification Laboratory, assessing the nose’s behavior under vibrational loads representative of launch conditions.
“The Space Rider nose is one of the most difficult technological challenges we have faced so far” says Giuseppe Rufolo, CIRA Program Manager. “It is a fully reusable structure weighing just 40 kg, capable of withstanding temperatures up to 1650 °C, maintaining aerodynamic shape with deformations of less than one millimeter, and withstanding launch loads. The success of these tests is the culmination of four years of intense work and paves the way for the completion of the Space Rider TPS.”
“The completion of the dynamic qualification of the ceramic-based composite Nose, developed by CIRA and Petroceramics, is a key milestone for the Space Rider programme", says Daniele Francesconi, Thales Alenia Space Italia Program Manager. "This achievement is a great success of the collaboration between the research centre and small and medium-sized industries in overcoming major technological challenges, which are essential for the atmospheric re-entry of reusable space vehicles”.
Aldo Scaccia, ESA Space Rider Space Segment Manager: "This qualification represents a major advance for Space Rider. The nose, a crucial part of the vehicle’s thermal protection system for the hypersonic atmospheric re-entry, is essential to the mission’s success. CIRA’s achievement brings us closer to completing Europe’s reusable orbital vehicle".
